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From Manchester to: The White Hart in Lydgate

This section is aptly named “From Manchester to...” but what if we were to go “From Manchester to Manchester” not the city, not the leafy suburbs but actually right towards the North East?

It was here that we found ourselves a stone’s throw from the Peak District, right in the Pennines in a lovely little area called Lydgate in none other than Oldham.

I’ve lived in Manchester for over 15 years now and I would always describe it as a bustling cosmopolitan city, but beyond that it’s actually beautiful, and you don’t need to travel too far to see it.

Taking a long, winding county road – the kind where your ears pop – it’s pretty much certain that your destination is going to be picturesque. Indeed we weren’t disappointed as amongst all of the greenery we came upon a little pub come hotel – The White Hart.

As we checked in we were led to ‘The Cottage’ – a small room situated in an outhouse from the main hotel. The room had modern decoration and was a perfect little snug, the room is simple but offers amazing views and a home away from home feel.

The thing that put this hotel on the map is the food. We ate at the Brasserie located in the heart of the pub which serves up a range of traditional old favourites. I started with Pan Roasted Scallops with tomato and basil, which were cooked to perfection and perfect when washed down with a large glass of red.

Our mains (as recommended by our server) was the fantastic Fish and Chips. Quote “Best Fish and Chips I have ever had”, the haddock was fresh, the batter light and crispy. The chips were my favourite – chunky, with a perfectly fluffy centre and gnarly crunchy bits on the outside. With a flourish of sea salt seasoning and served with a side of mushy peas, it was an absolutely perfect dish from start to finish.

As many of you well know, it would be criminal to not order the Sticky Toffee Pudding for afters and when it came, once again it was exceptional. Served warm, it was perfectly gooey and came adorned with a large helping of vanilla ice cream.

By this time I was full to the brim and ready to roll into bed. Luckily for me it wasn’t too far away and the bed was very comfy.

We were also very pleased when we awoke – we were greeted by a very high quality Breakfast buffer with some of the best sausages I’ve ever tasted. There was plenty to go around and we left suitably stuffed and very happy.

Thank you Oldham, you have managed to open my eyes to a whole new side of Manchester.